Liquid container



Aug. 9, 1938. B JACKSON. 2,126,390

LIQUID CONTAINER Filed Jan. 7. 1938 INVENTOR. B/PL/CE A. K/ZC/ISO/V ATTORNEY.

Patented Aug. 9, 1938 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE LIQUID CONTAINER Bruce A. Jackson, Oakland, Calif.

Application January 7, 1938, Serial No. 183,870

4 Claims.

The present invention relates to liquid containers and particularly to the novel construction and arrangement of the mouth and rim of such containers.

Many liquid containers, particularly bottles of various kinds and shapes, have rims at their mouths which are thicker in section than any other portion excepting only the bottom portions.

t is the rim of the container which is most subject to chipping and damage and which if damaged destroys its further usefulness. In addition to other things the extra thickness provided constitutes reenforcement of this vulnerable place and some measure of safety against damage from external blows. If the container is to have usefulness either in the first instance or in reuse, precaution in the form of reenforcing of the rim must usually be taken. Further, the chipping and the damaging of the rim at the mouth of the container come most usually from angular and horizontal blows and therefore it has been the practice in the arrangement of the reenforcing to eliminate angles and sharp edges and to provide curves so that blows may be deflected. This is perhaps best exemplified by the large bead at the rim of the ordinary milk bottles.

It is also Well-known that soft drink and other beverage containers in particular, have a roll or bead at the rim of the bottle, which, in addition to the reenforcing of the container rim, aids the securing of the capping or closure means. Certain medicine bottles and containers for toilet supplies have capping and closure means which similarly utilize the bead reenforcing at the mouth of the container.

It is an object of this invention to provide a liquid container which utilizes the benefits and advantages of the reenforcing rim such as beads or rolls and yet one from which liquids may be poured with facility and ease without the drops and dribbling running down the outside of the container.

It is another object of this invention to provide a reenforced bottle rim which will likewise provide adequate pouring means in bottles and containers suitable for laboratory and medicinal use in which neither the reenforcement of the bottle rim nor the elimination of dribbling is sacrificed one for the other or minimized in any way but rather where each is actually facilitated.

lviany efforts have been directed to providing the rims of containers, particularly glass bottles,

with spouts for pouring. These efforts in general have taken two forms. The first form emplbys a projecting spout of one shape or another which accomplishes the pouring without dribbling but materially accentuates the danger of chipping and breaking. Projecting as it does without adequate reenforcing the breaking off of the spout is almost a certainty. Also, in commercial production, where machines and equipment are geared to a uniform sized container rim, project ing spouts and the like are wholly impracticable. For these reasons, as well as others, the first form is quite generally regarded as unsatisfactory. The second form employs dents or cut-outs in the rim. This latter form, however, has been considered impractical up until the present time because of the inability to retain the reenforce ment of the rim and at the same time adequately eliminate the dribbling.

It is a further object of this invention to provide a container with adequate reenforcement at the rim and secure pouring or dispensing without dribbling or the like, all being accomplished without projecting spouts or similar means.

Another object of the invention is the production of a liquid container with a reenforcing protected rim having twin pouring spouts either singly or in multiple, wherein the larger phase directs the full fiow and the smaller phase the limited or thin flow.

It is a further object of the invention to provide a limited or controlled flow from a liquid container which has a rim of larger section for the most part than any other portion thereof normally has excepting the base or bottom portion.

Further objects are to provide a construction of maximum simplicity and economy and such further objects, advantages and capabilities as will later more fully appear and as are inherently possessed thereby.

The invention further resides in a construction and arrangement of parts illustrated in the accompanying single sheet of drawing and while there is shown therein a preferred embodiment and a modification thereof, it is to be understood that the same are capable of further modification and change and comprehend other details and constructions without departing from'the spirit of the invention.

Referring now to the drawing:

Fig. 1 is a top plan view of the rim portion only of a container;

Fig. 2 is a similar view showing the twin flow diagrammatically;

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary vertical section of the top portion of the container taken on the line III-III of Fig. 1;

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary view partly in section and partly in elevation taken on the line IVIV of Fig. l and looking in the direction of the arrows; and

Fig. 5 is a view in perspective of a portion of the pouring lip and container rim.

Like reference numerals are used to designate similar parts in the drawing and in the description of the invention which follows.

Referring now particularly to the drawing, I0 represents the upper portion of a container made of glass or any other suitable material.

While my invention will be described in connection with a container made of glass, it is obvious that the invention lends itself as well for use in containers made from tin or any other material. 7

At the mouth of the container there is provided one or more segments of a beaded or rolled rim I I The segments II are of larger cross-section than ordinarily found in any portion of the container save only the bottom portion and provide the reenforcement of the rim of the container. The outermost surfaces I 4 of the segments preferably are all equidistant and on the same radius with respect to the longitudinal axis of the container. The height of the segments II is preferably uniform to present an even surface to the closure means where such closure is a cap or crimp bottle top or even the beverage type top. The bead or roll overhangs the neck IS at I3 a sufficient distance to permit the unchanged use of such closure means. If desired, there need be but one continuous segment spaced apart at its ends to form a single pouring opening.

The ends of the segments I I, regardless of their number, when viewed in plan as in Fig. 1, are shaped with a comparatively flat curve I8 sweeping toward the outside surface I4, but just before the outer surface I4 is reached, the curve becomes sharper.

The space provided between ends I8 of segments II is joined by a pouring fioor I5 which may be made integral with segments II at its sides and with the rim. Pouring floor I5 extends from the inner rim I2 of the container outlet, from which point it gradually narrows. From here it extends upwardly along the curved surfaces I8 of segments II and then drops down substantially vertically between these ends I8 until it reaches a small bead or shelf I9. The width of floor I5 at this point is preferably narrow so that the upper flat floor 2I of bead I9 combines with the end portions 22 of segment curves I8 to provide a four walled pocket.

In actual practice I have found that the bead I9 should be semi-circular in cross-section with a diameter approximately one-eighth of an inch,-also, that the bead I9 should be set outwardly from wall ID of the container neck so as to provide horizontal under surface I3 at the bottom of rim I I. Pouring floor I5 is recessed inwardly from the outside surface I4 of the rim II for the purposes herein set out. It is also set lower than the top of rim II.

The ends I8 of the segments II serve as protection for the pouring floor I5 and the bead I9 as well, and also as guides for the fiow of liquid through this channel.

Further, the segments II may be dished or cupped as at 20 on the inner surface at either side of the channel I5 and adjacent thereto. The purpose of this is to form a second pouring spout. This cupping may be varied to accommodate any desired degree of flow larger than possible through the channel between ends I8. The effect of this form is to control the full flow of liquid when more than the amount capable of flowing through floor I5 is required. When this larger flow is diminished, the liquid poured is accommodated by channel I5, is confined in and is controlled by the channel and its bead I9. In this manner a twin flow spout is provided. As better illustrating the meaning and efiect of twin flow and twin flow spouts, reference is here made to Fig. 2, where the lines A represent the stream outline and level when controlled through channel I5, and where the lines B represent the larger stream outline and level when controlled by surfaces 20.

Obviously, a single segment II providing a single pouring floor I5 may be made in the rim of a container, or a plurality of segments forming a plurality of spouts may likewise be provided, making it unnecessary to rotate the container any appreciable distance in order to bring a spout into proper position. Either construction provides multiple twin flow spouts for the container.

The operation of my invention is as follows: Regardless of whether or not a large or small quantity of liquid is to be poured from the container, the form of the pouring floor I5 and its associated bead I9 will be brought into play. The cupped or dished portions 20 on rim II will be brought into play when there is to be a full or rapid emptying of the container contents.

Assuming that the container is substantially filled to the rim I2, and that it is desired to withdraw very slowly a portion only of the contents,

if the container is tilted, the liquid begins to flow over floor I5 confined between walls I8 and 22. With the container in this filled condition, the tilt will not at first be sufficient to cause the liquid to fall away from the floor I5 until it has reached the bead I9. If the container is now set upright, the liquid remaining on the floor I5 will either flow back into the container or will flow down the floor I5 onto the bead and drop into the receptacle receiving the liquid. The small portion remaining on the fioor I5 will be collected at the junction of floor I5, floor 2| and sides 22. I have found from experiment that with bead I9 made about one-eighth of an inch in diameter, any

residue remaining on the bottom of the bead will not pass along under surface I3 and down onto neck II), but will either drop off bead I9 or will be drawn back up with the liquid remaining on floor 2I between sides 22 and ends I8.

Assuming again that the container is substantially filled to the rim I2 and that it is desired to empty a substantial portion of its contents fairly rapidly, the container is tipped and the liquid assumes a level such as indicated by B in Fig. 2, and the flow of the stream controlled by dished portions 2!! on the rim will be substantially as indicated by the outer lines shown in Fig. 2. As the fiow diminishes, it Will drop to the point Where it is controlled entirely by the pouring floor I5 and sides I8 as shown by the lines A in Fig. 2. As the flow decreases still further, the condition described above will take place and there will be practically no tendency for the liquid remaining on the floor I5 to spill or dribble.

While the drawing illustrates a plurality of pouring floors I5 and of segments II, it is to be understood that my invention is capable of being practiced where there is but a single pouring floor and the rim I I is continuous except for the opening on each side of the floor. Also, while the drawing illustrates a container made of glass, the use of other materials is contemplated.

What I claim is:

1. In a container, having a pouring outlet, the combination of upstanding wall portions extending above the level of said outlet, a relatively narrow pouring channel formed at the bottom of the space between adjacent ends of said wall portions, said channel extending down the outside of the container outlet rim where it terminates in an outwardly projecting bead, to form a pocket at the terminus of said channel.

2. In a container having a pouring outlet, the combination of a plurality of upstanding wall portions extending above the level of said outlet, a relatively narrow pouring channel formed at the bottom of the space between adjacent ends of said wall portions, said channel extending down the outside of the container outlet rim where it terminates in an outwardly projecting bead spaced between the bordering pair of wall portions, to form a pocket near the terminus of said channel.

3. In a container having a pouring outlet, the combination of an upstanding wall portion surrounding said outlet, a relatively narrow channel formed in the outer vertical face of said wall portion, said channel extending downwardly from the top thereof, a bead connecting adjacent Wall sections of said wall portion, said bead extending across the bottom of said channel to provide a pocket.

4. In a container having a pouring outlet, the combination of an upstanding wall portion surrounding said outlet, a channel extending down the outside of said wall portion and an outwardly projecting bead to form a pocket at the terminus of said channel.

BRUCE A. JACKSON. 

